Arrival

by S. K. Randolph

  “I do. It’s one of my favorite things.”

  “Then you and I will have to go riding one day.”

  “I’d be honored.” He put the brush down. “I’ll just take him back to the paddock.”

  Allynae moved beside him. “I’ll go with ya.”

  Almiralyn stepped back as Race led Gemlucky out the double doors, then turned to Feela. “Shall we join them?”

  Feela gave her a shy smile and returned the kittens to the mother. They walked in silence to the paddock, where their appearance brought a tan and cream pony to the gate.

  Feela combed the little mare’s mane with her fingers. “This is Tamboreen. She likes to be called Tam.”

  Almiralyn smiled. “She told you her name, didn’t she?”

  Feela nodded. “How did you know?”

  “I felt your special gifts the first time we met. I’m so glad you’re here.”

  A blush colored Feela’s cheeks, but her gaze remained steady. “So am I.”

  Race draped an arm around his companion’s shoulders. “What time tomorrow morning, Mira.”

  “Join us for breakfast at half eight.” Almiralyn bid them good day and guided Allynae around the cottage to the front garden, where flowers grew in abundance. Vines intermingling with pink roses crawled up trellises and tumbled over the white fence. Just beyond the gate, she stepped away from her brother and paused. The air made her skin tingle. Squinting, she peered into a field of tall, golden sunflowers.

  “What’s up?” Allynae’s quiet question intruded into her silence.

  “Someone has tried to mask the portal into Idronatti. Tonight we’ll close the destination point at the Five Towers and reroute the new portal to The Borderlands from this anchor point. The new gateway to and from Idronatti will be somewhere on the outer edges of the buffer zone. Elcaro’s Eye and the compass will tell us where the destination and anchor points will be.” She stifled a yawn. “A nap is calling.”

  “You never nap.” Her brother’s laugh deteriorated into a cough as she shot him a quizzical look and pushed open the front door.

  In the quiet of her room, she stretched out on the bed. When she’d been asked what type of home she wanted, she’d spent hours in the temple’s library, pouring over old books until she could picture it exactly. It’s even more wonderful than I imagined. She brushed a stray curl from her forehead. A memory of her mother’s touch, her smile, the gleam in her eyes flooded her with a sense of longing. The only thing that could possibly make it better would be to have you here, Maman. When you and Papa left, I expected to see you again. Now, I wonder if that will ever happen? I know in my heart you’re alive. What could be so important that you would leave and not contact us again? Even as she wondered about her parents, her eyelids grew heavy and closed.

  The weight of Karrew landing beside her woke her. Outside her bedroom window, the sun slid slowly along its western arc. Dusk would arrive soon. She needed to find a mirror for the portal.

  Pushing herself to sitting, she leaned against the headboard. “How are we going to find a mirror, Karrew? If we were at home . . . I mean in KcernFensia . . . I would know just where to look.”

  He flapped his wings and hopped up to perch on her knee. “The cottage has an attic, doesn’t it?”

  “Of course. I did ask for an attic full of forgotten treasures, didn’t I? Do you think there’s a mirror?”

  Karrew flew to the chair by the door. “We won’t know . . .”

  “Unless we go and look.” She laughed, jumped off the bed, and followed him down the hall to a small door with one side taller than the other to match the pitch of the roof. An age-darkened brass key hung on a hook beside it. Almiralyn held it up. “Are you ready? I am!” She inserted it in the lock. An almost inaudible click and the door swung open. Karrew alighted on its angled edge as she stepped into the stairwell.

  Inside, a narrow, wooden staircase angled up between two walls. A quiver of excitement propelled her upward. Her anticipation heightened when she peered over the edge of the floor and discovered an abundance of surprises.

  “Karrew, come and see.” She clambered up the last few steps and stopped. “Oh, Karrew, beamed ceilings and dormer windows with blue shutters diffusing the light just like I asked for.” She turned, peering at the odd shapes hidden beneath gray covers, the piles of books and baskets, the ancient trunk in the corner, the dressmaker’s form.

  Karrew soared up the stairwell, circled the room, and landed on a mound of gray. “A treasure trove.”

  Allynae’s head appeared above the floor. “Anybody home?”

  “Alli, look! Do you think there’s a mirror up here?”

  He surveyed the space. “There’s a lot here.” Moving from one dormer to the next, he threw open the shutters. Summer’s bright warmth flooded the space. He dusted his hands on his pants. “I say we look around.”

  One by one, treasures emerged. Almiralyn knelt to admire a handmade rocking horse with a horsehair tail and mane. Allynae cooed over a box of leather-bound books. Almiralyn flipped back a gray cover and found an antique desk and matching chair. She opened and closed the center drawer. “Oh, Alli, won’t this look great in the study?”

  “Mira!”

  She looked up to find her reflection staring at her from a large, oval mirror. Almost her height, it leaned against the wall in an intricate gilded frame.

  “Ohhhh.” She pressed her palm against the shiny surface. “Alli, it’s perfect! We can teleport it to the sanctuary.”

  Allynae scowled. “You know how much I hate practicing Dimensionery in any form. Can’t we just carry it down together?”

  Staring at his face in the mirror, she shrugged. “We can, but the stairs are pretty steep.”

  He walked to the stairwell and returned to her side. “You’re right. I’ll help, but just this once.”

  She raised an eyebrow at his reflection.

  “I know. . . I know. I’ll be helping tonight.” He clasped her hand and shut his eyes.

  His energy flowed in concert with hers. Focusing her intention, she formed a detailed image of the sanctuary in her mind and pictured the mirror in the corner by the window.

  Karrew cawed from his gray perch. “It’s done.”

  Allynae released her hand and stared at the empty place where the mirror had been. “You never cease to amaze me, Mira.”

  “Thanks for your help, Alli. I will need all the strength I can muster for tonight’s work. Shall we check and see if it’s where it is supposed to be?”

  Karrew swooped ahead of them down the stairwell. When she entered the sanctuary, he perched on the rim of the fountain. The mirror rested against the wall in the corner.

  Allynae lounged in the doorway. “Did you doubt for even a moment that it would be there?”

  Her eyes searched his face. “Do you even begin to know how powerful you are?”

  “Leave it, Mira. I need to eat before the real work begins.” He disappeared down the stairs with Karrew flying in his wake.

  For a moment, she allowed the quiet of her special place to soothe her. Tonight will be difficult. The Five Fathers will fight me for power over the Idronatti portal. Without Allynae’s help, I might not succeed.

  Resolving not to irritate him further, she headed for the kitchen.

  Almiralyn lounged on the window seat in her room. A gossamer glow heralded the moon’s arrival above the sunflower field bordering the front garden. Dinner had helped to ease the tension created by anticipation of the night’s work. Allynae accepted her need for assistance and ceased his scowling denial of his gifts and his power. They had separated to rest and prepare for what was to come. How lucky I am you came with me, Alli.

  The curved edge of the moon crested the tall flowers. I’m glad Myrrh’s moon is full for three turnings. She crossed the hall. A snap of her fingers and the wick in the oil lamp flared. Another snap and the flame steadied. Kneeling, she unbuckled the straps on the Chealim’s trunk and opened the lid. The whisper of raven w
ings announced Karrew’s arrival. The fourth step creaked. Allynae was on his way. He strode into the sanctuary and handed her an enamel kitchen dipper. “The statue sure looks like you.”

  “It takes on the appearance of whomever is its steward. In this case, me.” She dipped the dipper in the fountain. “Drink it with clear intent for the success of tonight’s work, Alli. It will support your talent and give you strength.”

  He drank deeply and returned it. She cleared her mind, focused her intent, and followed his example. Hanging the dipper from the fountain’s rim, she smiled. “Ready?”

  “I am.” He placed his hands on Elcaro’s bowl. Taking her place opposite him, she curled her fingers over the carved weave of the statue’s braid. The water spilling from the alabaster hands ceased. Ripples on the surface melted away, leaving moonlight from the open windows glistening on the satin stillness.

  Almiralyn glanced up. Allynae remained motionless in the moon’s light. His eyes were closed, his breathing even and quiet. She leaned forward and blew gently. An image emerged from the depth of bowl.

  Idronatti’s Five Towers loomed on the surface like menacing ghosts. Spotlights on each building shot rays of light down empty streets. The image zoomed closer and steadied. Two PPP patrolmen stood at attention on either side of a vault door. Another zoom pulled the picture into focus beyond it, where a vortex swirled in the subdued light.

  Almiralyn centered her thoughts and proceeded to create a draw-stringed boundary around the portal. Her clear voice chanted:

  “The time has come to close the gate

  To save it from the Fathers’ hate.

  I draw the string up tight and bind

  This gateway ’til a future time.”

  Karrew cawed a warning. The vault door flew open and light exploded into the space. Almiralyn snapped her fingers. The boundary surrounding the vortex began to contract. Inch by inch, the portal grew smaller until only a minuscule opening remained.

  Viennoc’s weasel face filled the fountain. Dark eyes searched. His mouth twisted with malice. “Who dares to defy me? Who dares to destroy what belongs to the Five Fathers of Idronatti?”

  Almiralyn projected her holographic image into the vault. “I, the Guardian of Myrrh, dare to close what has been defiled. Give the people of Idronatti their freedom, and I will return the portal.”

  Loathing contorted Viennoc’s expression. “We, the exalted Fathers of The City, do not answer to the Guardian of Myrrh. The Plan will save the people. The People will obey The Plan. Idronattians will never visit Myrrh again.”

  “So be it.” Almiralyn snapped her fingers. The opening vanished as the remaining Fathers flooded the room.

  “What the . . .” The man called Soru turned an angry face in her direction. Hatred hurtled toward her.

  Brushing it aside with a wave of her hand, she addressed the gathered men. “Fathers of Idronatti, the Guardians granted you the power to build The City and the responsibility of protecting it, its citizens, and Myrrh. You have chosen instead to use your power to control and constrain those who were placed in your care. Until The Unfolding is complete, this gateway will remain closed.”

  Soru started toward her. Viennoc’s hand closing on his arm pulled him up short. Viennoc growled, “Do not think this ends here, Guardian of Myrrh. Others in the Inner Universe who are far stronger than you will come to our aid.”

  A figure flashed into focus. Chealim gazed down at the Fathers. His upraised hand sent them to their knees, immobilized. Almiralyn’s hologram faded. She gazed into Elcaro’s Eye.

  The Galactic Guardian’s visage filled the fountain’s bowl. “I have erased this turning’s work from the Fathers’ memories. Gradually, however, it will resurface. They know you are in Myrrh, and Viennoc will guess that you had something to do with the portal’s disappearance. I have confused their memories, so they will not remember that you are important to other unsavory members of humanity. Enjoy Idronatti’s children while you can. The accelerant for The Unfolding will come from their ranks. Take care, Almiralyn Nadrugia.”

  The image on the fountain switched to the Five Fathers. Viennoc, the first to recover, came to his feet, small eyes darting around the space. The absence of the portal registered. His eyes narrowed.

  Soru scrambled to standing. “What the—”

  Confusion reigned. Garbled voices shouted profanities. Water boiled up in the fountain, sloshing over the rim and down the smooth bowl onto the ivy-sculpted stand. A whispered word brought the water to a standstill. Silence settled over the sanctuary.

  Allynae released his hold, stretched his fingers, and cracked the knuckles one at a time. “How soon do you think they’ll remember who closed the portal?”

  Almiralyn sighed. “Only the passing of time will provide the answer.”

  He cracked the last knuckle. “Ya, and time on Myrrh and in Idronatti are totally different.”

  She picked up the compass by its leather thong. “Let’s complete our tasks. Put this on, please.” She strapped Efillaeh’s belted scabbard around her waist and slipped the Stone of Remembering around her neck.

  Her brother studied the compass. “What’s first, the mirror and the traveling gateway or the portal into Idronatti?”

  Karrew cawed. “Clearing the anchor point at this end will be important, as well.”

  Almiralyn scratched his chest. “That is our next objective.” She smiled at Allynae. “The cottage portal is called Tropal. Are you ready?”

  He gripped Elcaro’s rim and nodded.

  Removing Efillaeh from its scabbard, she whispered, “Tropal Gateway.” Clouds rolled up and obscured the surface. Moonlight drenching the white bowl turned its alabaster opaqueness translucent. Shining up from the bowl’s depths, a cool light dispersed the mist and highlighted the almost invisible vortex emerging in the water. Almiralyn pointed the knife at the portal’s center. The etchings on the silver blade began to glow. Drops of emerald light dripped from its point into the swirling vortex. Debris like a flock of black birds flew from Tropal. Purple light from Efillaeh’s handle absorbed it, transmuted it, and beamed it back into the center of the bowl.

  Tropal’s spin slowed and stopped. Elcaro’s Eye returned to its original opaque whiteness. Efillaeh’s blade and handle grew cool in the light of the moon. Almiralyn exhaled. Beside her, Allynae’s gaze transferred from the fountain’s surface to her face.

  “I knew the knife was powerful but . . .” He shook his head, pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket, and mopped beaded sweat from his brow.

  Almiralyn offered him a dipper of water. When he had drunk his fill, she quenched her thirst and refocused on Elcaro’s Eye. Her bones absorbed its magic, the moon’s radiance, and her brother’s power. A slow exhale prepared her to move on. “Now that Tropal’s anchor point is clear, we need a destination point for the new portal. Please hold the compass above the fountain, Alli.”

  Removing the thong from around his neck, he gripped the compass in his right hand and held it face down above the water. Almiralyn cupped her left hand over his and spoke in a clear, steady voice.

  “Elcaro's Eye and compass fine,

  Join forces to give us a sign

  Where destination points can stand

  In Myrrh's buffer, The Borderland.”

  In rapid succession, a series of pictures shot to water’s surface—a house, a flower shoppe, an old deserted chapel. Faster and faster the images appeared and vanished. Abruptly, they ceased, leaving nothing but calmed water in the fountain’s bowl.

  The Compass of Ostradio began to glow. Almiralyn removed her hand. Allynae turned his over. Only the blurred impression of the spinning needle could be seen. Three sharp claps brought it to a standstill. Concurrent pictures of a decrepit shoppe front materialized on its face and on the water’s surface. The weathered sign on the dark blue door read, “Antiques by Q.”

  Karrew fluttered to Allynae’s shoulder and peered at the series of rooms flitting by. “The mirror can move from roo
m to room and the shoppe can move from place to place around The Borderlands. I imagine it can shift to fit into a variety of neighborhoods, as well.”

  Almiralyn nodded. “It will.” She tipped the Stone of Remembering from its blue pouch. Whispering a few quiet words, she touched it to the compass face, then placed it in the kneeling statue’s open palms. “That will secure the memory to both. Now, it’s time for the mirror, Alli. Keep the compass close.”

  Slipping it in a pocket, he offered his hand. Together, they teleported the mirror closer to the fountain, where it hovered facing east. When she felt certain it would remain stable, she released Allynae’s hand and placed hers on the fountain’s rim. “Hold the compass in your right hand with its face to the mirror,” she instructed. “I’ll tell you when to switch it to your left hand, so it will maintain the connection of the compass to the mirror. I’ll create the portal within Elcaro’s Eye. Karrew will carry it through the mirror and into The Borderlands. Timing is critical.”

  Alli placed the compass as specified.

  Almiralyn patted her shoulder. “Karrew, I need you here. Please join your power to mine.” When he had settled, she let her mind grow empty but for the words of the spell.

  “A new portal must come to be.

  In the fountain let us see

  It emerge for its beginning,

  Swirling, whirling, vortex spinning.

  * * *

  Make a keyhole at its center,

  Hidden until one would enter.

  Index finger makes the sign

  To open up this portal line.”

  Elcaro’s Eye began to glow. Golden light soaked the base of the pedestal and radiated upward. It drenched the sculpted vines with color, saturated the smooth roundness of the bowl, and spread across the surface. The water churned, opening a funnel from the surface to the tip of Vesen, the crystal encased within the fountain. Radiant light shot up through the opening, exploded into a rain of diamond sparks that pelted down into the All-Seeing-Eye, and formed a spinning, phosphorescent disc at the fountain’s center.